Process for increasing the luster of goods made of animal hair and wool



Patented May 27,- 1930 UNITED STATES Enron norm, or VIENNA, AUSTRIA PBGGESS 1'08 INCREASING TEE L'lTS'IER OF GOODS MADE OF ANIMAL HAIR AND WOOL No Drawing. Original application iiled November 22, 1927, Serial No. 235,126, and in Austria December 1, 1926. Divided and this application filed September 18, 1928. Serial No. 806,784.

My invention relates to a process for increasing the luster of goods made of animal hair or wool more particularly of felt and velour hat bodies.

5 This application is a division of my ap' plication filed in the United States on November 22nd,.1927 under Serial No. 235,125 for aprocess for treating animal hair and wool with chlorine.

It hasalready been proposed to treat animal hair and wool with hypochlorites, with chlorine water and even with gaseous chlorine for improving the luster of the same. But the methods heretofore used in such treatments resultedinvaria-bly in a'highly ob jectionable action on the hair and wool viz:

a reduction of the mechanical strength, and

.even a rapid destruction thereof and more particularly a complete loss of the capacity of i hair and wool to be fulled or felted.

It has also been pro osed to treat coarse hair either human or o the manes, tails and other parts of the bodies of animals with hydrochloric acid and oxygen carrier such as chlorates and bichromates, the hydrochloric acid being largely in excess for reducing the diameter of such hairs and imparting to them the aspect of the finest human hair. My

invention does not relate to such refining of creasing of the luster of goods made of animal hair'and wool and more particularly of felt hat bodies and velour hat bodies.

The main object of my invention is to avoid the deleterious effects above referred to of the chlorine treatment of such goods made of animal hair and Wool and to provide a method for such treatment which results in imparting to the said goods a verydurable silk like luster without producing any deleterious effeet on the said goods.

. In carefully studying the action of chlorine on animal hair and wool I have discovered that any deleterious action of chlorine on animal hair and wool can be avoided by providing for a comparatively slow development of chlorine on the hair and wool itself, and avoiding the presence or formation of hypochlorites and hypochlorous acid, while the formation of chlorine dioxide (C10 apcoarse hair but, as already stated, to the in pears to have even a beneficial eifect. By satisfying these conditions I obtain a very durable and beautiful silk like luster on any goods such as felt hat bodies or felt hats or cloth or fabrics'made of animal hair or wool.

With the object above referred to in view, my improved process com rises the step of applying to goodsmade rom animal hair or wool an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and an aqueous solution of an oxygen carrier capable of liberating chlorine from hydrochloric acid.

The concentrations of the said aqueous solutions are so low, that in the cold no reaction is set up between them by which chlorineis liberated, but such reaction is set up on heating the mixture of the said aqueous solutions to from to 100 centigrade. Or this reaction may be set up on increasing the concentration of the mixture of the said aqueous solution by drying.

Imay apply the said aqueous solutions to 4 the goods to be treated in any suitable or preferred manner, either simultaneously or successively by spraying or by brushes or by simply immersing the goods to be treated into the said solutions successively or into the mixture of such solutions and subsequent 1y removing the excess of liquid by pressing .or by centrlfugal action. I may simply 1mmerse the goods into the mixture of the aqueous solutions and then-heat the whole to a temperature of 50 to 100 centigrade.

Instead of hydrochloric acid a mixture of substances cap able of producing hydrochloric acid may be used.'- The oxygen carrier is peroxide of hydrogen;

In any case of heating. or on drying the aqueous solutions in contact with goods made of animalhair or wool, the chlorine is immediately taken up by the hair or wool as it is liberated and as the chlorine accompanied or not by chlorine dioxide is liberated comparatively slowly, any deleterious action on the-air or wool is avoided.

If the said a ueous solutions are applied to the goods ma e from hair or wool such as felt hat bodies by spraying or by brushing or by immersion and-subsequent removal of the liquid in excess, the quantity of chlorine liberated on and taken up bythe hair or wool may be nicely predetermined. v If my improved process has to be carried out by simple immersion and subsequent heating, the concentration of the aqueous --solutions is preferably much lower about only one fifth to one twentieth of that used 7 Example Felt hat bodies are immersed into to 1% aqueous hydrochloric acid; to this, aqueous peroxide of hydrogen is gradually added until the desired efl'ect of improving the lusterof the felt hat bodies is obtained. Or the felt hat bodies may be immersed for about 20 minutes into to 1% aqueous hydrochloric acid, then the liquid in excess is removed in any suitable manne'rand a 0.2 to

0.6% aqueous peroxide of hydrogen are applied to the felt hat bodies so treated whereupon they are dried, chlorine being liberated and taken up by the hair or wool as above de scribed. Instead of hydrochloric acid I may use a mixture of aqueous solutions of sodium chloride and sulphuric acid. Thus I may first soak velourfelt hat'bodies with a 5% aqueous solution of sodium'chloride and then bring them into a 2% aqueous solution of peroxide of hydrogen to which about 2% of sulphuric acid are addedgradually, heating the whole, if desired, until the desired efiect is obtained.

Or velour hat bodies may be immersed into a. 1% aqueous solution of sodium chloride for V to 1 hour, heated to atemperature of about 80 centigrade and then, after removin the excess of liquid, immersed for about our into an aqueous solution containing 0.1% of peroxide of hydrogen and 0.2% of sul huric acid heated to a temperature of 30 to '8 centigrade. The liquid in excess is then removed by centrifugal action and finally the velour hat bodies thus treated are dried at a temperature of 50 to 70 centigrade. In this case practicall 'all of the chlorine is liberated only on rying' at the higher temperature when the concentration is increased, while in the highly diluted liquid practically no chlorine at all is liberated. j

A beautiful silk like luster'is thus imparted to the goods made of hair avithstand subsequent treatments such as washing, shaping, brushing anddyeing.

decomposing chlorine dioxide, if such be half to three per cent or wool which will What I claim is: r

1. A process for increasin the luster of goods made of animal hair an wool com rismg the step of bringing into contact t erewith an aqueous solution containing chlorine and hydrogen ions and an aqueous solution of peroxide of hydrogen, and causing the two solutions to react with each other in contact with the said good 2. A process for increasin thel'uster of goods made of animal hair an wool compris ing the step of applying thereto aqueous solutions of-peroxide of h dro'gen, a metal chloride and an acid capa le of evolvin hydrochloric acid from such metal chloride, and causing the two solutions to react with each other in contact with the said goods.

3. A process for the increasing the luster of oods made of animal hair and wool comprismg the step of bringing into contact there with an aqueous solution containing chlorine and hydrogen ions and an aqueous solution of peroxide of hydrogen the whole containing from one halfto three per cent by weight of chlorine capable of being evolved from the hydrochloric acid resulting from the chlorine and hydrogen ions, and the quantity of peroxide of hydrogen required for evolving such quantity of chlorine and causing the two solu tions to react with each other in contact with the said goods.

4. A process for increasing the luster of goods made of animal hair and wool com rising the step of bringing into contact t erewith an aqueous solution containing chlorine and hydrogen ions and an aqueous solution of peroxide of'hydro en the 'wholecont'aining from one half to tl lree per cent by weight of chlorine capable of being evolved from the hydrochloric acid resulting from the chlorine and hydrogen ions, and the quantity of peroxide of hydrogen required for evolving such quantity of chlorine, removing the excess of liquid from the goods and drying them.

5. A process for increasing the luster of goods made of animal hair and'wool comprismg the step of applying thereto aqueous solutions of peroxide of hydrogen, a metal chloride and an acid, capable of evolving one by weight of chlorine, and causing the two solutions to react with each other in contact with the said goods.

6. A process for increasing the luster of goods made of animal hair and wool comprising the ste of applying thereto an aqueous solution 0 peroxide of hydrogen, sodium chloride and sulphuric acid, capable of evolving one half to three chlorine, and causing the two solutions to react with each other in contact with the said goods.-

goods made of animal hairand wool comprising the step of applying thereto aqueousper cent by weight of 7. A process for increasing the luster of solutions of peroxide of hydrogen, sodium chloride and sulphuric acid, such solutions being ca able of evolving one half to three percent?) weight Q15 chlorine, removing the excess of iquid fronrt e goods and drying than; at a temperature of ebout 70 centii In testimony whereof I havehflined my signature;

ERICH BOHM 

